Daniel Pipes
Mobile Edition
Regular Site

Haven't they learned anything?
Reader comment on item: Might the Saudis Blow Up Their Oil Infrastructure?

Submitted by Pat (United States), May 17, 2005 at 19:09

If this is a bluff, it's an incredibly stupid one. Saddam might still be in power had he not been so intent on deception. He thought he could make us cower with the threat of weapons of mass destruction. He figured we would never risk invasion because of the havoc he could wreak on the region. All his bluffing only convinced Westerners that he was too dangerous to be left in place. The only alternative was a permanent sanctions regime, which was not sustainable.

If it's a reality and they push the button they will likely contaminate more than the oil fields. Their water sources might be destroyed or rendered useless by radiation poisoning. More than likely most of the country might become uninhabitable. What will happen to Islam if Mecca and Medina become ghost towns? Would Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock become the new Mecca? When the Chernobyl reactor blew, radiation was detected in western Europe. How many countries would be impacted by the Saudi suicide? Are the Saudis really so determined to go out in a blaze of glory? If so, then can we please stop calling Islam the religion of peace?

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.

Submit a comment on this item

Search by Enter name or date
Search Forum Comments:

Reader comments (31) on this item

Title By Date
Dual Purpose of Explosives [42 words]Dr. SleeOct 22, 2005 12:49
US Treasury market [30 words]michael cMay 18, 2005 20:31
House of Saud [95 words]JoeMay 18, 2005 13:17
⇒ Haven't they learned anything? [195 words]PatMay 17, 2005 19:09
Saudi empty threat [169 words]Marcos BerensteinMay 16, 2005 19:56
Blow up Oil infrastructure? [98 words]Jacques BakkeMay 16, 2005 02:46
Worth considering... [17 words]CutlerMay 15, 2005 23:07
I Always Assumed They Had A Self-Destruct [30 words]ConstanceMay 15, 2005 16:19
Past due [224 words]philiplisagorMay 13, 2005 18:12
Usually a Big Fan - Disappointed this Time [291 words]AdamMay 13, 2005 16:49
Small quantities protocol [88 words]Marc JorisMay 13, 2005 16:34
Too much of Oil can be a bad thing [132 words]Yldaed SurivMay 13, 2005 12:49
Irrelevant [106 words]Paul ZMay 13, 2005 10:58
Poor Mr. Ahmed [96 words]Octavio JohansonMay 13, 2005 09:53
Completely Preposterous [114 words]Ronald MonsenMay 13, 2005 09:19
If they did do it, they must have thought about it hard [73 words]Alain Jean-MairetMay 13, 2005 00:53
Absurdity [63 words]Stan SuchockiMay 13, 2005 00:12
New energy project [175 words]Fodor, G.E.May 12, 2005 22:25
A doomsday switch is a stupid idea [88 words]LTECMay 12, 2005 21:58
Not an Effective Deterent? [19 words]ElliotMay 12, 2005 16:39
I doubt it would work. [403 words]bernardzMay 12, 2005 15:44
The Desert Fantasy [596 words]Alo KievalarMay 12, 2005 15:33
Chilling thought. Now, what's the bottom line? [103 words]J. GoldbergMay 12, 2005 11:01
SAUDI OIL [82 words]Asim AhmedMay 12, 2005 08:59
The evil that you know [87 words]Octavio JohansonMay 12, 2005 08:28
Button, Button, Who's Got The Big Red Button? [400 words]YonasonMay 12, 2005 03:19
Dr. Strangelove in a kaffiyeh [365 words]Kenneth S. BesigMay 12, 2005 02:11
Saudi self-destruct: silver lining [98 words]Gary GoldmanMay 11, 2005 20:42
re: Might the Saudis Blow Up Their Oil Infrastructure? [99 words]Garrett HildebrandMay 11, 2005 20:04
An aside... [55 words]Mark FabyMay 11, 2005 19:41
A secret deterrence system would be useless [76 words]Alfred KohlerMay 11, 2005 18:14

Comment on this item

Name
Email Address (optional)
Title of Comments
Comments:

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.

See the 25 most recent outstanding comments.

Back to top of page